Builder Destroys Beautifully Done Terrace After Client Didn’t Pay For It For Over 3 Weeks
Interview With Author
Sometimes you really wanna buy something. I mean, we get influenced to buy stuff all the time. We scrape up the money, all excited, ready to buy the new shiny thing that will make us happy (for a total of 1 day).
Suddenly, when it’s time to pay, we look at our wallet, our bank account, away, frantically checking again – something isn’t adding up! Turns out that in all the excitement we’ve been foiled by the dreaded math and are now just a little bit short to complete the purchase.
More info: Facebook
You should really not test the patience of contractors and pay them up front or else you run the risk of them coming to your house and promptly tearing down their work
Image credits: Terasos Ara
A client had bought a terrace for $4.3k but 3 weeks after the work was done, he was short over $1k and wouldn’t offer any solutions to the workers
Now the terrace in question was built by the Terasos Ara company and you only need to take a glance at the examples on their website to know that these are masters of their craft.
Not only do they make terraces so perfect they wouldn’t look out of place in your Sims 4 mega-mansion, but they also do things like steel supports for roofs, fences – pretty much anything that would make your backyard go from sad and carefree to bad and boujee.
The terraces are a treat too, using wood and wood-plastic composite that are not only more durable, but come in a variety of styles and colors – pearly white, burnt dark, lacquered for that classic wood look – they’ve got it all.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Image credits: Terasos Ara
The builder, Deividas, was working nearby and decided to pay a visit to “check out” how his handiwork has been holding up, circular saw in hand
There’s only one catch, though. You’ve got to pay for all of it. I know, it came as a shock to me too. Who knew that custom woodwork, expert craftsmanship, and good materials cost money?
Thus it happened that the premier builder, a Lithuanian by the name of Deividas Šadis, decided he needed to do something about a debtor who just wouldn’t cough up what he owed. And he did owe more than pocket change – 1000 euros, which is about $1085 in freedom currency.
So, working nearby to the location, he drove over there and took his circular saw to teach the debtor a lesson. Don’t worry, though, this won’t be an episode of Law & Order.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Not seeing any other options available to him, Deividas revved his saw and took it to the newly-installed deck, making sure that he’s not the only loser in the situation
Revving his saw, he began swiftly undoing his beautiful work. Just 3 cuts and the deck already looks way worse. Not to mention that the wood at the cuts is no longer protected from the elements and will begin rotting without replacement or some serious aftercare, especially in the rainy Lithuanian autumn.
In a great display of his cup of patience running over, the builder essentially said “if I go in the negative, he (the customer) also goes in the negative,” referring, once again, to his lack of payment for the services.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Image credits: TerasosAra
In his 9 years of work, the contractor had never done anything even remotely similar and he says he hopes not to have to do it ever again
Although, if you talked to some builders, you’d realize that going unpaid for work does happen and with startling frequency, Deividas, in his 9 years of work, has only had to do something like this just this once.
He mentioned to one Lithuanian publication that he doesn’t want to ruin anything any more and hopes that he won’t have to make any more cautionary videos like this one any more. He doesn’t appreciate how viral the video went and is willing to bet that the customer is probably not feeling all too well about it either.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Image credits: Terasos Ara
3 swift applications of the saw’s blade and the deck was pretty much ruined, the repairs for which would cost over $1.7k, along with the $1k debt
Although the method is certainly unconventional, it has paid off for Deividas. After the reversal of his handiwork, the debtor suddenly reappeared, wanting to solve everything civilly. It is a little bit late for that, but Deividas would like to meet the guy and see what he has to say for himself.
Apparently, the customer would like for the damage to be reversed again so that the deck will once again look like it did when it was freshly built.
It won’t be cheap, though – let’s not forget about the guy’s $1k debt, and fixing the damage would cost about $1735, including removing the old boards, getting new ones and reinstalling them.
Now, instead of the original 4.3k, the debtor will have to pony up a smidge over 6k.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Bored Panda reached out to the company and got some more info — turns out that a Lithuanian company, Valiuta24, has covered the client’s debt for them
Bored Panda succeeded in reaching out to Terasos Ara and Deividas for a comment about the situation via phone.
It turns out that they’ve gotten a whole bunch of missed calls from the client, who, as mentioned, wants to solve everything peacefully and have the terrace restored. Feels like spitting into the ocean after getting your deck sawed up like that, but better late than never!
They’re unsure what has brought this change on, but our interviewee mentioned that it could be either the influence of upstanding neighbors or they got embarrassed after the video was posted.
Although Deividas has been working in the industry for 9 years now, he hasn’t even heard of colleagues encountering non-paying customers. He also mentioned that it’s quite impossible for a contractor to know if a client has enough money – though any sensible person will have money set aside if they have work to be done.
There is a silver lining to this entire debacle, though. Deividas mentioned that the Lithuanian foreign exchange company Valiuta24 reached out to the business and graciously covered the client’s debt of 980 Euros or $1063. Turns out there is still some goodness left in the world. What’s left now is only a matter of principle and Deividas himself would like to meet the customer and finish on a high now by leaving them with a repaired deck.
Image credits: Terasos Ara
Watch the original video here:
Contractors going unpaid for their work isn’t an everyday occurrence, but sometimes they have to choose the most extreme option to get to some people
While builders may try to look for a peaceful way out, proud workers who respect their work and take no bull from anyone are certainly liable to pull something like this. Especially if you keep dodging their demands to pay or simply disappear entirely.
Just last month, Bored Panda wrote a piece about landscapers very satisfyingly ripping up all of their hard work when customers refused to pay, citing dissatisfaction with the work.
“If you’re so very unsatisfied,” the company thought, “we’ll just take our work and be on our merry way,” leaving the front and back yards looking like a bomb had gone off in them.
I feel like there may have been a better solution on the clients’ part, but it just won’t come to me right now. Probably something related to money and paying, though.
Image credits: Alexander van Loon (not the actual photo)
Just last month, Bored Panda wrote a piece about landscapers ripping up entire sheets of sod when a client refused to pay them for putting it down
There are legal ways to solve the problem for contractors, though. A thing known as a contractor’s lien (could also be called a mechanic’s or construction lien) is a claim that they have performed work on a property but not have gotten paid so far.
It’s certainly easier both for the customer and contractor to simply pay up or even work out some kind of payment plan for the debt, instead of going silent and having to file a lien. Most of the time, contractors would rather get to other jobs than engage in a legal battle with you about the money that you just won’t cough up.
There’s always them coming to your property with saws, sledgehammers, and crowbars to make sure that you’ll suffer a similar amount of losses as you’ve just incurred them and no one really wants that.
Image credits: kslicksix
Image credits: kslicksix
They wouldn’t leave the home unpaid and they couldn’t get through to the customer, so they left her yard looking like a really bad barber’s handiwork
Image credits: kslicksix
Image credits: kslicksix
Image credits: kslicksix
Many praised the landscapers and said that it’s possible to file a contractor’s lien, which is a legal way of solving such disputes
The contractor’s extreme option did work, though, and the customer reached out again, wanting to solve everything and restore the deck
Deividas’ video, posted on the Terasos Ara company Facebook page, collected over 3.8k likes, along with 600+ comments and a whopping 1.5k shares.
Comments (in Lithuanian) said that Deividas did a good job and that what he did was right. Even other contractors’ business pages chimed in, further supporting him.
Have you ever gone unpaid for your work? What did you do? Share your stories in the comments below!
602Kviews
Share on Facebook
Never ever ever pay contractors up front, ever. Many are honest, but many go into the business as profesional scammers. Pay promtly after, with thanks and gratitude instead.
Yes, there are bad actors out there! Even if they have good reputations, they will move on and forget about things like drawer pulls or last minute adjustments because they have already been paid and they are now onto the next customer's project.
Load More Replies...
What stupid waste of good, scarce material. 3 weeks? There are other forms to get the money. This is just dumb. Hey look at me, super A-male?
Honestly I do understand grass company who did not get any cent, they just could take back their grass and can use it for paying client. But here with cutting terrace? because client was short of 1000? in Lithuania there are very good debt collectors for such a cases. Just sell their debt for 80% of cost of debt, blacklist this client, and sleep well. There was no need for that. All of this is just either for publicity or scripted. horrible.
You can't really re-use that grass; it's weeks old and unrooted/dried out. It looks like it wasn't babysat after install, so certainly on such slope would have died anyway.
Load More Replies...
I think the contractor had an extreme reaction to not being paid in full 3 weeks after the job was done. There were other options that he should have taken advantage of before tearing up the work he did.
Three weeks is quite awhile to owe almost 1100 dollars. He was not at fault. If you are going to have someone come out and bust their a*s off on such a large project then have the common decency to gave the money already. When my porch was built i already had the money. I wasn't no low life that let them finish then go oh yeah i might be a little short. He had every right to do what he did.
Load More Replies...
Is it fair, maybe, it probably felt nice to do, but never the less what the builder did is illegal in a lot of countries, and he should have filed a case against his client instead of this. Now if the client sues the builder will most likely be found guilty
Trespassing and vandalism in most places. You can file a claim to get your money.
Most billing goes 30 days before considered delinquent. This guy is a AH. I didn't catch the location but in most of the western world, you can put a property lein against the homeowner. And did I see that the client tried reaching out but his calls were "missed"? Yeah, douchebag contractor just got his arrogant a** handed to him in court
This whole article seems like a load of rubbish. Who would do this, knowing it's probably going to damage their business in the long run? Also, why do irreparable damage to your work after only 3 weeks? And finally, WTF is "freedom currency", you cheeky f****r? Do people in the Eurozone not have freedom?! How dare you! Terrible article all round.
So many issues at work here. I would have liked to see the entire patio. Because from what I see, it looks like good quality wood, stained nicely and boards placed evenly. From these pics, it doesn't look like it should cost that much. Most people, at least in the US, don't pay the entire cost up front. I.e. half up front, then the rest when the job is done. Or whatever the contract stipulates. Contractor provides estimate and if project goes over budget, must detail those costs in contract. Also 3 weeks late doesn't seem like a long amount of time. Not even 1 billing cycle. But most of the time, you pay the balance at the end of the job, when the work is satisfactorily done. We don't have the homeowners side of it. But to "repo" part of a project like that, just seems stupid and wasteful. Builder doesn't have a ghost of a chance of collecting $$ now.
If you read he was already reimbursed through a program. How is it stupid? If the individual wouldn't pay when it was finished then what makes you think they would pay at all? When you hire someone for a project you should have the money already to pay them afterwards
Load More Replies...
a builder local to me got stiffed on a full house build and was out over 100k. the people that stiffed him on the bill were extremely well off so he went out one night and removed everything that he had paid for. they were left with a driveway and the plumbing. when they took him to court over it his defence was they can afford better lawyers than him and could afford to drag it out so he decided he was better to just take back the property he had receipts for.
We had something similar here. Contractor repo'd his bathroom material.
Load More Replies... 
Great plan except in Canada this would be illegal and the contractor would be facing charges. Once you install anything on someone's property it becomes their property, not yours, regardless of payment. A civil lawsuit or lien is required.
I don't know, going on someone's property that is not yours first off is trespassing, secondly cutting up the deck and or pulling up sod is called destruction of property ( doesn't matter if you were paid or not) you can't by law arbitrarily just come back and take the materials you put in weather or not the client paid the contract in full. The only real option the company has is to file a claim. To come to someone's home and start tearing things up or out is not a legal option. If I was the owner of the home and saw the damage the contractor had done plus he posted it online the police would be waiting for him to get back to his place and arrest him on the spot. The contractor not only would have to bail himself out but pay for new materials and fix what he had done, and owner of home and contractor would be right back where they started, except the contractor would be out of alot of money cause he couldn't wait to find out why it was taking so long for home owner to pay.
Years ago I did a job for a designer at the home of one of her clients. The bill was only $550 but after months of dunning he never paid. The home owner and I had never met, so he didn't know me when I went to his gas station to get new tires for my truck. After making a purchase decision I mentioned the sign that said "no checks" so I said I'd have to go to the bank to get cash, but not wanting to lose he sale he said, "You look like an honest man to me, I'll take your check. So he installed the new tires, which came to $550, and then I went right to the bank and stopped payment.
YOU committed FRAUD and willful premeditated deception.
Load More Replies...
I had a lawn and landscape co for about 15 years. Once a “client” refused to pay me for cleaning all the weeds out of the landscaping at a house she was trying to sell. In a few weeks she had waaaaay more weeds in those beds. I really wish I could have made it happen overnight, but… Should have paid me, beyotch!
What an absolute SCAB that contractor is. I own a plumbing and heating business. We do jobs worth 40k up to 200k all the time. Most people pay after a month and some even 3 months after invoice date which is not optimal but obviously you shouldn't take such action after 3 weeks. Can't handle the business go work for someone
Unfortunately in Australia, it would be illegal for a tradesman to carry out such acts. As an electrician myself I had an incident where the customer refused to pay $132 to repair 2 outside wall lights in the effluent suburb of Dover Heights. At one point she claimed it was unreasonable. I told her, send me what you think is reasonable and we’ll settle it at that. She sent me nothing so I gave it to a debt collector to handle and in the end, because of fees that can be legally added to the bill, it cost her about $600. Through the debt collector she was issued a summons to pay from a sheriff. She paid by the due date. You might think it was all for such a small amount but it was principle here, the customer was on a salary of around $750 000.00 and my taxable income was around $50 000.00. I was determined she was going to open her purse to pay for the work I did. She had to open her purse a little more than she anticipated.
In canada that contractor could have been charged with trespassing and destruction of private property. Yes,the home owner owes and is a douche bag but we have laws here that state the company would have to place a lien on the house to get compensated.
I've been in the business for 6+ years now. It really sucks not getting paid for your work. That's why it's important to know your laws. Can't tell you how many "liens" I've smacked people with for not paying when they are supposed to. Only once I have had to take apart a project. Always check your budget before hiring.
He did a job, didn't get paid. So he did another job for no pay? Great logic.
Something seems fake about this story. Plus the landscaping is sketchy. The sod looks like it is dead. The grass is turning all brown. More likely the are taking it out and having to replace it.
So if a contractor rips you off I guess it's OK to take a saw to their house. If I'm in the negative so will they.
You shouldn't do this and you shouldn't be lionizing this man. If he was charging for the full price of the deck+repairs what he did was destruction of property and extortion. "Nice deck you got there, be a shame if something happened to it." Committing criminal acts in order to get money owed is only justified if there are no legal avenues for collection, but Lithuania is in the EU, they have a robust legal system for this.
It's great to hear about a contractor getting even. I mean normally it's the other way around, contractors rip people off every day. Most of them are some of the worst people on the planet. They'll take your money, you get nothing done, you can't get even, you can take them to court, you may get your money back, you may not. But yeah nice work vandalizing stuff. Maybe if he had waited just a little longer, because it doesn't really sound like the debtor wasn't going to pay.
While I can't blames the guys anger, in Florida he would be arrested for a felony.....anger solves very little, if any thing. He can laugh about it with his buddies, he just needs to keep laughing when the sheriff comes to the door.
I can't blame his anger on anybody but the client, but I florida you would be in jail for that bold move....anger solves nothing.
Getting a signed contract and placing a lien on a property of someone who doesn't pay is the way to show disrespectful people who do not pay why you are a licensed contractor.
What a f*****g piece of s**t that contractor is. I own a plumbing company and we do contracts over 200k. MOST pay between 6 and 12 months after invoice date. He's a scab, can't handle the business go work for someone
Wow I will take the contractors side however I would have asked for the project money up front or partial payment according to work done so at any point the owner could not pay work would seize a company like this deck builder im sure has five stars so paying them up front or a payment method would be legimate ,I don't care how rich you think you are its about principal ,I do manufacturing machining I do side work I ask for up front money and I get it and I deliver I have 5 stars on my business website
As someone who has worked for myself for years I completely understand why these contractors do this. I've run into several people who don't want to pay after the job is done. What all of you saying it isn't right you have to understand that one large job not paid for can bankrupt and sink a company. We have to pay employees and for materials and time. If you can't afford it then don't have it done period. This is why I demand contracts for all the work I do. But also realize that a lien doesn't do anything for you in the short term. First you have to pay to file a lien and if still not paid you have to pay an attorney and waste your time in court. Sometimes taking away the work you did is the only option.
I honestly would have a hard time not shooting the bastard. If you dont collect your money, go to small claims court. The ahole with the saw is why violence is usual. I know hed pay a price for his violence on MY property. He is a poor, but becoming more usual example of the "contractor" Poor excuse for a human.
Around here most residential contractors expect homeowner to cut check for materials. If large job such as shingle or metal roof, homeowner pays for materials. At that point I'm ok waiting till job is complete for full payment. If I pay for materials up front I expect half of total plus materials cost at midway point. Destroying your work like this guy did is strong-arming similar to cartel type enforcement. I always catch more flys with honey vs threats so I'd never do something like this. Everybody is armed in Arkansas where I work so likely to get shot or head stomped in for c**p like this. Might work in San Fran type city tho.
In canada, the contractor would have been swiftly hauled off to jail for a couple of hours, given a court date and be reminded we have legal ways to obtain payments. Wilful damage to private property, criminal trespass among other charges is what he received for his actions. I never advocate for nonpayment, but down in the stand your ground states, this contractor roaming around in someone's back yard with a cordless skill saw...You do the math!
As a contractor, a client refused to pay balance on a 2000 square foot tile job. After threatening to take out my work with a sledge hammer he gave me a truck and use of another vehicle until balance was paid off.. the first and only time this happened to me 👍 good job terrace builder, legal system takes way to long for semi justice!
I did the same thing once in my boat upholstery and canvas biz. A man needed a seat recovered on his fishing boat which was in bad shape. I gave him a fair price but upon delivering him the finished seat he began trying to renegotiate the price, refusing to pay what we agreed on. The new covering had been stapled to the seat back using existing foam. I couldn’t take away what he owned and I wasn’t going to renegotiate. I pulled out a razor knife and totally sliced up the new covering in front of him. He didn’t expect that
Wtf is "freedom currency?" This was a weird article about an even weirder act.
You don't pay, you don't play. Fair enough. Builders and contractors have bills to pay as well!
I get 3 weeks is too soon to determine if payment will be filed or not, if it were like 6 months it would be understandable. But too many people are not fulfilling payments, and I do enjoy the petty revenge of it. Would have preferred to waited to see if client would have complied then done it. But still, the way to go with it. Customers get by with too much. It goes both ways with getting screwed, you have to be careful on both sides.
Never ever ever pay contractors up front, ever. Many are honest, but many go into the business as profesional scammers. Pay promtly after, with thanks and gratitude instead.
Yes, there are bad actors out there! Even if they have good reputations, they will move on and forget about things like drawer pulls or last minute adjustments because they have already been paid and they are now onto the next customer's project.
Load More Replies... What stupid waste of good, scarce material. 3 weeks? There are other forms to get the money. This is just dumb. Hey look at me, super A-male?
Honestly I do understand grass company who did not get any cent, they just could take back their grass and can use it for paying client. But here with cutting terrace? because client was short of 1000? in Lithuania there are very good debt collectors for such a cases. Just sell their debt for 80% of cost of debt, blacklist this client, and sleep well. There was no need for that. All of this is just either for publicity or scripted. horrible.
You can't really re-use that grass; it's weeks old and unrooted/dried out. It looks like it wasn't babysat after install, so certainly on such slope would have died anyway.
Load More Replies... I think the contractor had an extreme reaction to not being paid in full 3 weeks after the job was done. There were other options that he should have taken advantage of before tearing up the work he did.
Three weeks is quite awhile to owe almost 1100 dollars. He was not at fault. If you are going to have someone come out and bust their a*s off on such a large project then have the common decency to gave the money already. When my porch was built i already had the money. I wasn't no low life that let them finish then go oh yeah i might be a little short. He had every right to do what he did.
Load More Replies... Is it fair, maybe, it probably felt nice to do, but never the less what the builder did is illegal in a lot of countries, and he should have filed a case against his client instead of this. Now if the client sues the builder will most likely be found guilty
Trespassing and vandalism in most places. You can file a claim to get your money.
Most billing goes 30 days before considered delinquent. This guy is a AH. I didn't catch the location but in most of the western world, you can put a property lein against the homeowner. And did I see that the client tried reaching out but his calls were "missed"? Yeah, douchebag contractor just got his arrogant a** handed to him in court
This whole article seems like a load of rubbish. Who would do this, knowing it's probably going to damage their business in the long run? Also, why do irreparable damage to your work after only 3 weeks? And finally, WTF is "freedom currency", you cheeky f****r? Do people in the Eurozone not have freedom?! How dare you! Terrible article all round.
So many issues at work here. I would have liked to see the entire patio. Because from what I see, it looks like good quality wood, stained nicely and boards placed evenly. From these pics, it doesn't look like it should cost that much. Most people, at least in the US, don't pay the entire cost up front. I.e. half up front, then the rest when the job is done. Or whatever the contract stipulates. Contractor provides estimate and if project goes over budget, must detail those costs in contract. Also 3 weeks late doesn't seem like a long amount of time. Not even 1 billing cycle. But most of the time, you pay the balance at the end of the job, when the work is satisfactorily done. We don't have the homeowners side of it. But to "repo" part of a project like that, just seems stupid and wasteful. Builder doesn't have a ghost of a chance of collecting $$ now.
If you read he was already reimbursed through a program. How is it stupid? If the individual wouldn't pay when it was finished then what makes you think they would pay at all? When you hire someone for a project you should have the money already to pay them afterwards
Load More Replies... a builder local to me got stiffed on a full house build and was out over 100k. the people that stiffed him on the bill were extremely well off so he went out one night and removed everything that he had paid for. they were left with a driveway and the plumbing. when they took him to court over it his defence was they can afford better lawyers than him and could afford to drag it out so he decided he was better to just take back the property he had receipts for.
We had something similar here. Contractor repo'd his bathroom material.
Load More Replies... Great plan except in Canada this would be illegal and the contractor would be facing charges. Once you install anything on someone's property it becomes their property, not yours, regardless of payment. A civil lawsuit or lien is required.
I don't know, going on someone's property that is not yours first off is trespassing, secondly cutting up the deck and or pulling up sod is called destruction of property ( doesn't matter if you were paid or not) you can't by law arbitrarily just come back and take the materials you put in weather or not the client paid the contract in full. The only real option the company has is to file a claim. To come to someone's home and start tearing things up or out is not a legal option. If I was the owner of the home and saw the damage the contractor had done plus he posted it online the police would be waiting for him to get back to his place and arrest him on the spot. The contractor not only would have to bail himself out but pay for new materials and fix what he had done, and owner of home and contractor would be right back where they started, except the contractor would be out of alot of money cause he couldn't wait to find out why it was taking so long for home owner to pay.
Years ago I did a job for a designer at the home of one of her clients. The bill was only $550 but after months of dunning he never paid. The home owner and I had never met, so he didn't know me when I went to his gas station to get new tires for my truck. After making a purchase decision I mentioned the sign that said "no checks" so I said I'd have to go to the bank to get cash, but not wanting to lose he sale he said, "You look like an honest man to me, I'll take your check. So he installed the new tires, which came to $550, and then I went right to the bank and stopped payment.
YOU committed FRAUD and willful premeditated deception.
Load More Replies... I had a lawn and landscape co for about 15 years. Once a “client” refused to pay me for cleaning all the weeds out of the landscaping at a house she was trying to sell. In a few weeks she had waaaaay more weeds in those beds. I really wish I could have made it happen overnight, but… Should have paid me, beyotch!
What an absolute SCAB that contractor is. I own a plumbing and heating business. We do jobs worth 40k up to 200k all the time. Most people pay after a month and some even 3 months after invoice date which is not optimal but obviously you shouldn't take such action after 3 weeks. Can't handle the business go work for someone
Unfortunately in Australia, it would be illegal for a tradesman to carry out such acts. As an electrician myself I had an incident where the customer refused to pay $132 to repair 2 outside wall lights in the effluent suburb of Dover Heights. At one point she claimed it was unreasonable. I told her, send me what you think is reasonable and we’ll settle it at that. She sent me nothing so I gave it to a debt collector to handle and in the end, because of fees that can be legally added to the bill, it cost her about $600. Through the debt collector she was issued a summons to pay from a sheriff. She paid by the due date. You might think it was all for such a small amount but it was principle here, the customer was on a salary of around $750 000.00 and my taxable income was around $50 000.00. I was determined she was going to open her purse to pay for the work I did. She had to open her purse a little more than she anticipated.
In canada that contractor could have been charged with trespassing and destruction of private property. Yes,the home owner owes and is a douche bag but we have laws here that state the company would have to place a lien on the house to get compensated.
I've been in the business for 6+ years now. It really sucks not getting paid for your work. That's why it's important to know your laws. Can't tell you how many "liens" I've smacked people with for not paying when they are supposed to. Only once I have had to take apart a project. Always check your budget before hiring.
He did a job, didn't get paid. So he did another job for no pay? Great logic.
Something seems fake about this story. Plus the landscaping is sketchy. The sod looks like it is dead. The grass is turning all brown. More likely the are taking it out and having to replace it.
So if a contractor rips you off I guess it's OK to take a saw to their house. If I'm in the negative so will they.
You shouldn't do this and you shouldn't be lionizing this man. If he was charging for the full price of the deck+repairs what he did was destruction of property and extortion. "Nice deck you got there, be a shame if something happened to it." Committing criminal acts in order to get money owed is only justified if there are no legal avenues for collection, but Lithuania is in the EU, they have a robust legal system for this.
It's great to hear about a contractor getting even. I mean normally it's the other way around, contractors rip people off every day. Most of them are some of the worst people on the planet. They'll take your money, you get nothing done, you can't get even, you can take them to court, you may get your money back, you may not. But yeah nice work vandalizing stuff. Maybe if he had waited just a little longer, because it doesn't really sound like the debtor wasn't going to pay.
While I can't blames the guys anger, in Florida he would be arrested for a felony.....anger solves very little, if any thing. He can laugh about it with his buddies, he just needs to keep laughing when the sheriff comes to the door.
I can't blame his anger on anybody but the client, but I florida you would be in jail for that bold move....anger solves nothing.
Getting a signed contract and placing a lien on a property of someone who doesn't pay is the way to show disrespectful people who do not pay why you are a licensed contractor.
What a f*****g piece of s**t that contractor is. I own a plumbing company and we do contracts over 200k. MOST pay between 6 and 12 months after invoice date. He's a scab, can't handle the business go work for someone
Wow I will take the contractors side however I would have asked for the project money up front or partial payment according to work done so at any point the owner could not pay work would seize a company like this deck builder im sure has five stars so paying them up front or a payment method would be legimate ,I don't care how rich you think you are its about principal ,I do manufacturing machining I do side work I ask for up front money and I get it and I deliver I have 5 stars on my business website
As someone who has worked for myself for years I completely understand why these contractors do this. I've run into several people who don't want to pay after the job is done. What all of you saying it isn't right you have to understand that one large job not paid for can bankrupt and sink a company. We have to pay employees and for materials and time. If you can't afford it then don't have it done period. This is why I demand contracts for all the work I do. But also realize that a lien doesn't do anything for you in the short term. First you have to pay to file a lien and if still not paid you have to pay an attorney and waste your time in court. Sometimes taking away the work you did is the only option.
I honestly would have a hard time not shooting the bastard. If you dont collect your money, go to small claims court. The ahole with the saw is why violence is usual. I know hed pay a price for his violence on MY property. He is a poor, but becoming more usual example of the "contractor" Poor excuse for a human.
Around here most residential contractors expect homeowner to cut check for materials. If large job such as shingle or metal roof, homeowner pays for materials. At that point I'm ok waiting till job is complete for full payment. If I pay for materials up front I expect half of total plus materials cost at midway point. Destroying your work like this guy did is strong-arming similar to cartel type enforcement. I always catch more flys with honey vs threats so I'd never do something like this. Everybody is armed in Arkansas where I work so likely to get shot or head stomped in for c**p like this. Might work in San Fran type city tho.
In canada, the contractor would have been swiftly hauled off to jail for a couple of hours, given a court date and be reminded we have legal ways to obtain payments. Wilful damage to private property, criminal trespass among other charges is what he received for his actions. I never advocate for nonpayment, but down in the stand your ground states, this contractor roaming around in someone's back yard with a cordless skill saw...You do the math!
As a contractor, a client refused to pay balance on a 2000 square foot tile job. After threatening to take out my work with a sledge hammer he gave me a truck and use of another vehicle until balance was paid off.. the first and only time this happened to me 👍 good job terrace builder, legal system takes way to long for semi justice!
I did the same thing once in my boat upholstery and canvas biz. A man needed a seat recovered on his fishing boat which was in bad shape. I gave him a fair price but upon delivering him the finished seat he began trying to renegotiate the price, refusing to pay what we agreed on. The new covering had been stapled to the seat back using existing foam. I couldn’t take away what he owned and I wasn’t going to renegotiate. I pulled out a razor knife and totally sliced up the new covering in front of him. He didn’t expect that
Wtf is "freedom currency?" This was a weird article about an even weirder act.
You don't pay, you don't play. Fair enough. Builders and contractors have bills to pay as well!
I get 3 weeks is too soon to determine if payment will be filed or not, if it were like 6 months it would be understandable. But too many people are not fulfilling payments, and I do enjoy the petty revenge of it. Would have preferred to waited to see if client would have complied then done it. But still, the way to go with it. Customers get by with too much. It goes both ways with getting screwed, you have to be careful on both sides.
38
80